Baltimore, MD (August 6, 2013) –Pevco, a U.S. manufacturer focused exclusively on pneumatic tube systems for hospitals, today announced that Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Penn., has upgraded its pneumatic tube system to a Pevco pneumatic tube system.

Like most large hospitals, Penn State Hershey Medical Center uses a pneumatic tube system to transport specimens, pharmaceuticals and other small medical items throughout departments and facilities. When the decision was made to include blood components to the list of items transported via tube system, administrators knew that their current system was not up to the task.

“We were not confident in our previous tube system’s ability to accurately track and confirm the arrival of our blood products,” said Christine Kerr, compliance and quality improvement coordinator at the 551-bed hospital.

The project began in the main hospital, where all 25 existing tube stations were upgraded to Pevco stations. These stations are now supported by Pevco Smart Path™, the company’s traffic management technology. This technology gives the hospital a multi-zone system capable of handling 100 or more stations across multiple buildings.

The stations now include Pevco’s barcode tracking technology, which provides accurate and reliable tracking of small medical items as well as the plastic carriers that hold them during transport. This technology also tracks the sender and receiver of items through the use of identification tags.

In addition to improved tracking capabilities, Kerr said Pevco’s data retrieval technology is better than the technology of the old system. “Transaction data is critical for compliance reporting and process improvements. Pevco’s software makes it much easier to store and retrieve this critical information.”

“It’s an honor that Penn State Hershey Medical Center chose Pevco’s technology to transport valuable medical items,” said Joe Gaultney, Pevco’s director of systems engineering. “We are pleased that the upgraded system is helping their clinical staff effectively track the delivery of blood products.”

Used by more than 600 leading hospitals, Pevco’s flexible, intelligent products consistently reduce operating costs and are compatible with all competing pneumatic tube systems. Pevco was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Baltimore, with support staff positioned throughout North America. To learn more, visit www.pevco.com.